PROBING PAPER SURFACES WITH TOF SIMS - A NEW PROBLEM-SOLVING TOOL

Time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy is a new technique for probing the chemistry of surfaces. Applying the technique to many pape rs and papermaking problems shows that it its a powerful tool for anal ysis and problem solving. The authors discuss various applications in detail with emphasis on problems involving defects and runnability. Th e technique helped resolve a sizing problem where pitch was a highly e ffective desizing agent. This brought new insight to an old problem-wh y some pulps are more difficult to size than others.